This invention is directed primarily to a shaping apparatus that is used to remove material from a flotation core that already has a rudimentary shape, such as a flotation core of a surfboard or the like. Such cores are of a non-metallic material such as an expanded synthetic material or a cellulosic material.
It is conventional to shape such cores by hand or with a rotary machine that rotates a milling-type tool in an X-Y plane. Such machines set up relatively high forces in the X-Y plane. It is therefore necessary to clamp the core firmly to prevent movement of the core during the shaping process. This clamping can result in deformation of the core, especially when shaping thinner parts of the core, such as the core for a nose of a surfboard. This deformation results in inaccuracies and poor surface finish, which is undesirable.
Flotation cores, such as those for surfboards, are shaped from cores that have a number of generic shapes depending on the type of surfboard to be manufactured. Such cores require substantial shaping prior to being coated with material such as glass fibre and resin.
Surfing has grown into a very large industry. As such, it has been difficult for many surfboard manufacturers to keep up with demand. Furthermore, the demand is associated with the desire for many different shapes.
Automated apparatus for the shaping of cores is presently available. However, Applicant has found that these apparatus take an unacceptably long time to set up. This set up time is associated with positioning and holding the core prior to carrying out the shaping operation.
The Applicant has conceived the present invention to provide a shaping apparatus that can be set up significantly faster than is achievable with presently available equipment. In particular, the Applicant has addressed both the orientation of the tool and the manner in which the core is held during the shaping process to achieve such a shaping apparatus.
Applicant has also found that it is very difficult to generate aesthetically pleasing shapes for surfboard cores. It is often desirable to reproduce a handcrafted surfboard. However, this has been found to be extremely difficult with computer-based drawing systems. Applicant has found that attempts to reproduce cores for such surfboards have generally failed to achieve a shape that looks similar to the original.
The Applicant has also conceived the present invention to develop a method that addresses this difficulty.